I Fear Thy Nature
by Tsukiori
Summary: Daniel realizes a bit earlier than he should that Alexander is more than he seems. Mirrors are always hung in the most inconvenient of places...
1. Chapter 1

Daniel's smile hovered uncertainly, the cup and saucer he held in his hands rattling. "You must find me so silly. A grown man having night terrors, being afraid of the dark." His attempt at a smile finally gave up and faded away. He looked down into the depths of his tea, but the leaves floating in the dark liquid offered him no advice he could discern.

The baron stirred across from him and Daniel's eyes flashed up. The old man was only settling himself in his chair, his chin now resting in one gnarled hand, the other lazily spinning the contents of his own tea cup. He wasn't looking at Daniel, much to the young man's relief, but was staring into the fire, golden eyes reflecting the flames back oddly. When the silence stretched out to an unbearable length, Daniel took a sip from his cup. His hand gave a traitorous shake and a healthy slosh of the warm tea spilled onto his shirt. Yelping he dropped the cup in shock… But no tinkling of broken glass met his ears. Alexander had reached over and caught the cup before it met the floor. Daniel hadn't even seen him move from his chair. The baron straightened from his crouch and set the cup on the mantle. "The china set was expensive." He murmured, as if that explained his surprising speed and dexterity.

Daniel nodded, cringing back into his chair. "You startle appalling easy." Alexander flashed a grin over his shoulder before returning to his seat.

"My apologies. I have always been…high strung. Nervous. And these dark days even more so."

Again that amused smile from Alexander's thin lips. "No need for apologies, my dear boy. Under the present circumstances I would be shocked if you weren't a bit overwrought. There is also no shame in it. Do not be so concerned over how I will judge you, for I assure you I am not."

"You are too kind to me." Daniel fidgeted. He disliked it when the baron stared at him so. Those yellow eyes could be piercing and when they unflinchingly focused on him he felt as if the baron could pry into his very thoughts.

"Perhaps I am." A smirk twitched on his lips before he turned that penetrating look back to the flames. After a moment he added, "Do you think you will sleep tonight?"

"No, Alexander. I do not think so." He sighed. "I am so very feeble, am I not?"

"Daniel, I think you are very human."

"Thank you."

Alexander gave a small bark of laughter. "I guess you would find that a compliment."

"Sir?"

"Nothing, Daniel. An old man's ramblings. Would you object to a spot of brandy? I have a rather good brand and it would be nice to finally share it with someone. Drinking alone tends to make one maudlin I find."

"Yes, of course. No, don't trouble yourself. I'll fetch it. It's the least I can do for keeping you from your bed at this hour."

"I sleep little and I do not mind being denied my rest if it's for your sake."

Daniel hurried to the table underneath the mirror where several bottles of spirits and glasses waited. "Which bottle is it?"

"The round one." Alexander gestured towards a squat bottle to the left. There was dust on it and it didn't look as if the baron had drunk from it much. Daniel selected two glasses, holding them up to the candlelight to make sure they weren't dirty. He measured out equal amounts into each glass.

Alexander rose to his feet; the movement reflected in the mirror caused Daniel to raise his eyes. He almost dropped the bottle. He whirled around. There was Alexander's back outlined by the glow of the fire, shoulder's still broad despite his age, white hair falling just below his shoulders. He had one hand against the small of his back, the other resting on the mantle. Daniel glanced back in the mirror. What stood in front of the fire was decidedly not the baron. The creature turned towards him and Daniel gasped, twisted around again.

The baron was looking at Daniel, one eyebrow raised. "Are you having trouble? Do you need assistance?"

"No, I can manage. I just got…distracted."

"By what?" The exasperation was clear in his voice.

"I was looking at my reflection." He looked over his shoulder. The monstrosity was worse when viewed from the fore. "I am much changed." He picked up one glass and walked towards the baron. His hand was trembling again. He prayed he wouldn't spill it.

"I would not take you for a vain man." Alexander plucked the glass from him. One long finger tucked a strand of hair behind Daniel's ear. "Besides, I still find you comely enough."

Daniel remembered the clawed fingers the baron's reflection had sported and shuddered. He took a step back. The baron's expression fell into puzzlement before smoothing into something blank. "But where is yours? I thought you would join me."

"I'm sorry, my lord. I find I have no taste for alcohol tonight. My stomach feels rather delicate. In fact, I feel I should retire to my own rooms. Maybe a bit of a lie down would do me some good."

"You were fine a moment ago." The baron frowned, eyes searching Daniel's face.

"That is the thing about sudden illnesses. They are…sudden." He hastily took a step back as Alexander reached for his hand. "I shall take my leave now. Good night, Alexander." He fled; leaving Alexander frozen, hand still extended towards him.

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><p>Daniel soon developed an obsession with mirrors. Alexander seemed to be bemused by his charge's new fondness for them, shaking his head and muttering to himself whenever Daniel diverted from his course to seemingly check his hair or fix his attire. In reality Daniel was not interested in his own appearance but that of the old man who always seemed to be just a few steps behind him.<p>

After the night he had awakened Alexander, crawling to his door like a cringing dog with its tail between his legs, he had not seen the horror in the mirror again. Whenever he peered into reflective surfaces it was always his own face and the well worn, slightly annoyed, but very human visage of Alexander that he saw. He should have been relieved. He should have chalked the whole night up to his mind being overly stimulated by his terrors and his exhaustion, but he still could not help himself from looking as if to catch the baron unawares.

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><p>Daniel woke up screaming. He quickly rolled over and smothered his cries into his pillow. When he had exhausted himself and the sharp edges of his nightmare had begun to dull with his waking, he finally rolled over. Pressing a hand against his eyes he began to sob. How could he bear this? How could he continue on if all his nights were fated to be like this? He should just go ahead and end it. His death had probably become an inevitable and irrevocable thing from the moment he had touched the orb, maybe from the moment he had set foot on the sands of Algeria.<p>

An image of a room came unbidden to his mind's eye, pushing the dire thoughts aside. The polished wood of the furniture, the thick rug before the fire cheerily burning in the grate; it was the study in Alexander's rooms. There was a sense of beckoning, as if an invitation were being extended to him. The feeling grew stronger the more he hesitated. How odd. Despite himself he found his legs swinging from under the warm covers. He yelped when his bare feet hit the cold stone of the floor. Quickly he jumped to the nearest rug, wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm. If he was going to venture out into the drafty halls he should probably get properly dressed. Calling on the baron at this hour especially called for decent attire. He drifted told his wardrobe, but the sense of urgency grew to become most overwhelming. He gave into it, snatching up a dressing gown that was flung over a chair and fastening the belt as he walked into the halls. He gritted his teeth as his feet grew more and more numb with every step he took, but he had no idea where he had thrown his slippers if he even had any to begin with.

He was shivering by the time he reached the door to the baron's private chambers. The door swung open before he could bring up his hand to wrap upon it. Alexander looked as if he had dressed in a hurry, his shirt was only half buttoned up and his hair was disheveled. Perhaps Daniel was not the only one to be having restless dreams. "Well, don't just stand there, come in." Alexander snapped, opening the door wider and turning his back to Daniel to walk over to the fire.

Daniel flushed and hurried to do as bid. He shut the door behind him and followed the baron, taking his accustomed seat. He sank into the plush of his chair with a sigh, grateful to be warm at last.

"Daniel, I am aghast. You look half frozen through. Do you not have any common sense?" Alexander rose from his chair and fetched a throw rug. He threw it over the young man's lap. "You don't even have shoes on. You will catch your death if you aren't careful." Something flashed in his eyes and Daniel wondered if it was regret at his choice of words. Being reminded of his possible demise conjured a chill that could not be dispelled by the fire. He tucked the rug around his legs and turned towards the flames.

Alexander reached out and then snatched his hand back. "Would you like some tea? Or perhaps now you'll take something a bit stronger with me."

"Tea to begin with if you please." He closed his eyes and listened to the clanging of the utensils and water being poured into the kettle. There was a screech of metal that Daniel assumed was the lead bar for the kettle being swung to hang over the fire. He opened his eyes, suddenly ashamed of himself. "I am sorry. It should me preparing the tea."

"Truly?" Alexander began to lay out the cups and saucers onto the table. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm…Well, I'm the…" He was going to point out that he was the younger of the two, but could not gauge how well that would be received. Though he bore many wrinkles and his fingers were as gnarled as the branches of a tree, he was still as spry as Daniel. Maybe even more so. "I'm your guest." He finished.

"I thought it was the custom of your people to have the host wait upon his guests. Am I mistaken?"

"No…"

"Then please go back to your dozing. I shall stir you when the tea is ready."

Daniel wanted to ask what the baron would do while he drifted off. He had the unsettling feeling that the man would just settle back into his chair, fingers steepled, and watch him slumber. That was an unnerving thought. He opened one eye. Alexander was back in his chair, but he had a book open on his knee. His shirt hung open and Daniel was amazed to see that the flesh on his chest and neck did not seem to be as marked by age as the rest of him. He wondered why that was so. His eye drifted shut and he turned so his cheek was pressed against the wing of the chair. Assured that the baron was not staring at him, he let himself nap. He didn't register the slight thumps that may have denoted a book being shut and then put aside.

The whistle of the tea kettle roused him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand. Alexander chuckled. "You make a cozy picture, curled up in front of the fire like a house cat."

In his sleep Daniel had tucked his legs up underneath him, something that would have had the sternest of English matrons tsking at him. He hurriedly put his feet back on the floor.

"Don't stand on ceremony, Daniel." He said, wrapping a cloth around his hand and retrieving the kettle. "Set up the teapot and leaves please."

Daniel did as bade and watched as Alexander poured out the hot water, steam dancing in the air. "I'm-"

"Please do not apologize anymore. I am at my limit for apologies."

"I'm…Yes, Alexander."

He smiled. "That's better. Now let's divert ourselves from the reason you find yourself in my chambers in the middle of the night with more pleasing topics. I assume you read."

"I did go to university." Daniel answered, defensive. "I'm proficient in French, Latin, a little of Arabic, not to mention classical languages such as Greek, Aramaic and Hieroglyphs.

Alexander laughed. "I meant for pleasure. You read for pleasure. Calm yourself, little one."

Daniel became extraordinarily fascinated by the tea in his cup. "Oh. Yes. I do like to read."

"Are you blushing or is the heat of the room causing you to flush?"

"Don't tease me." It came out as a near wail, which made the baron laugh again.

"Sometimes I cannot seem to help it around you. Do stop puffing up like that; I will endeavor to be nice from now on. Who do you read?"

"I am rather fond of Milton and bits and pieces of Chaucer were rather nice. Oh, and the roman authors are always quite smashing."

"Anyone more recent?"

Daniel only looked at him, puzzled. Alexander smiled to himself. "Have you read anyone from the Germanic lands?"

Daniel shook his head.

"A pity. There are some remarkable writers and poets. I may be a bit biased of course."

"I must admit that I never had much interest in the German language before I received your letter. I had never thought to travel any of the Germanic states. Who would you recommend?"

"From Germany or in general?"

"Either."

The discourse on books lasted several hours. They went through another pot of tea and Daniel discovered that the baron had a wicked sense of humor, making small jests and jibes that Daniel only realized were such several minutes after Alexander had made them. The jokes were most often at Daniel's expense, but he didn't mind. It didn't seem to be out of maliciousness, just mild teasing. The only other person who had teased him thus had been Herbert.

He frowned as he remembered his old mentor. Dead now. His body probably lying unburied in the desert, whatever that unholy abomination hadn't gorged itself on now food for jackals.

"None of that, Daniel. No more apologies and no more black moods, at least for tonight."

"I'm…Yes. I think I will have that stiff drink you offered a bit ago. I'll get it. Do you want one as well?"

"If I am assured of your company this time, I think I can imbibe."

Daniel hurried to the bottles before a word of apology could worm its way past his lips. As he was pouring, he glanced up into the mirror, as had become his ingrained habit. The thing was resting in the baron's chair. Abhorrent chin resting in a clawed hand, its head pointed in Daniel's direction, foul yellow eyes trained on him, unwavering. It smiled, or maybe leered would be a more apt word. God, there were so many teeth.

He swooned. He caught himself in time, one hand striking the table and clutching on. He pulled himself back to his feet as soon as the world became in focus again. A cry behind him and he heard Alexander getting to his feet coming to his aid. Strong hands on his shoulders trying to support him, but he pushed the other man away. The baron stumbled back and Daniel turned his back to him. Head lowered he panted for breath. His hands were shaking and he could feel that he was bathed in sweat.

The abomination was hovering behind his reflection in the mirror. He turned. Alexander was a few feet behind him, standing preternaturally still. Daniel could feel the raw energy boiling from him. If Daniel made another misstep, if he even looked near to collapse, the man would be at his side in an instant whether he wanted his assistance or not.

He took a step towards Alexander. "I'm-" He didn't know whether the last word would have been "all right" or "sorry". He stumbled, his legs no longer containing the strength to keep him upright. And Alexander caught him.

Daniel found his nose pressed into the small space between Alexander's collarbones. Alexander had one arm around his shoulders and a hand tangled in his hair, keeping him in place, keeping him upright. He tried to thank the man, but all that could come out was a sort of hum. He closed his eyes, focused on his breathing, on making it even instead of the erratic mess it was now. Alexander smelled of medicine. Of the fire. Of tea. Safe things, normal things. Things an abhorrent monstrosity shouldn't smell like.

"Are you all right? Just nod, don't try to speak."

Daniel nodded. Alexander's hold on him loosened enough for him to stand up straight. He was still encircled by the baron's arm though and he was now being petted. It felt nice, having his hair stroked like that. He closed his eyes tight, squeezing them shut. It was still Alexander before him when he opened them again. There was no expression on his face at all besides a slight wariness in his eyes.

Daniel ran a hand down his chest. It felt normal enough. A heart beat against his palm, strong and steady. He followed the ladder of ribs. Normal. No sign of the extra…bits he had spied on the creature in the mirror.

Alexander could have been made of stone, frozen in place as he was. It should have been a warning to stop, but once he had started he found that he could not cease his explorations. Surely eyes could be deceived, but not touch. He slid a hand up Alexander's throat, the pulse fluttering against his fingertips like a butterfly's wings. He cupped the baron's weathered cheek in the palm of his hand. He wanted to pull the bottom lip down a little and see if Alexander's teeth were as sharp as the one's his reflection bore, but he was sure that it would have been inexcusable and he was certain he was already trying the baron's patience as it was.

Daniel gave a small laugh and let himself collapse against Alexander, his forehead resting on the man's shoulder. The arms around him tightened. "What has gotten into you tonight?" The baron murmured into his hair.

"I do not know. I think…I think I may be going mad." He realized that he was sobbing. It had to be the only explanation though. The man who was holding him, who he was clinging to, was as real and as perfectly formed as any he had ever encountered. No extra appendages, no bony bits perturbing from the flesh, no sharp claws, nor any sharper teeth. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated in between sobs, stricken that he couldn't keep his promise to Alexander to not apologize anymore, not sure how he could not.

"Get a hold of yourself." The growl didn't have much force behind it, but Daniel did make the effort none the less. He sniffed, pulled back, and raised a hand to touch that cheek again. He looked up at Alexander, aware suddenly that were standing quite close. He could feel Alexander's breath on his face and wondered why it seemed to be as uneven as his own.

He opened his mouth for one more apology… And found the words stopped by the simple expedient method of the baron's lips over his own. He gasped, tried to take a step back, but found he could not because Alexander seemed rather intent on keeping him pressed against himself and that Daniel's own hands seemed to be tangled in Alexander's shirt.

They pulled apart and Daniel took in a hungry mouthful of air. Alexander's lips didn't stray far, they brushed the corner of his mouth, kissed his cheek, mouthed at the line of his jaw. Daniel ran his fingers through the white locks, silkier than he would have imagined, addictive.

Alexander nipped him on his neck, soothed it with kisses afterward. It made Daniel give a high cry that had the baron pulling him even closer. When the baron began to suckle at a point over his jugular, Daniel began to squirm, the hand in Alexander's hair clenching involuntarily. Alexander pulled away, a strange light in his gold eyes. He didn't speak, just regarded the young man with a hint of challenge. Daniel let his eyes drift half shut and tilted his head, all the invitation Alexander needed to continue. The kiss was searing, calming, shattering, a chaotic explosion of emotions within his breast, but he was certain of one thing: he didn't want it to end.

Again that night, the image of a room rose in his mind. A grand four poster bed, the bed clothes all a rich burgundy in color. Even though he had never seen the room before, he knew it was Alexander's bed chamber and he much desired to go there, the sooner the better. He felt the baron laugh though the kiss didn't break. A hand on his waist and some slight pressure and he found himself being walked backwards towards a door. He made the mistake of opening his eyes again. They were right in front of the mirror. Daniel pushed Alexander from him. It was the baron's turn to catch himself on the table. "Daniel, what in the hells-"

"I'm sorry, I can't." He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the image of himself in a passionate embrace with a monster. "I just can't." He ran.

Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Alexander start towards him and halt, attention suddenly distracted by the mirror, he thought Alexander might have cursed, but he did not tarry long enough to be certain.

* * *

><p>X<p>

* * *

><p>In case anyone calls it into question (though I can't imagine that anyone would) Daniel isn't counting Latin among the classical languages because it was still used in his time for medical and research journals, so technically it wasn't as dead as a door nail yet. And also because Daniel is silly like that. Alexander would most definitely call it classical and is silently laughing at Daniel and finding him utterly charming. (I used to be a huge Latin nerd in high school, can you tell?)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel spent the following days barricaded in his rooms. At first Alexander would stop by at exactly spaced intervals of time to rap on the door and call to him, worry in his voice. Daniel could not bring himself to answer, would just pull the covers over his head and squeeze his eyes shut. He felt like a child hoping that the monsters would just go away if he made himself as small as possible.

After the fourth day Alexander no longer came to call. Daniel tried to tell himself that he was relieved that he was no longer subjected to the baron's attentions, but he couldn't help the stab of hurt that he could be so easily given up on. At the beginning of the fifth day he realized that he had run out of food.

Since childhood he had fallen into the habit of squirreling away any morsel that he couldn't finish on his plate and which could be preserved. It had served him well when his father had forbid him to be fed due to some conceived balk at paternal authority. Twenty eight years of age and he still couldn't shake the compulsion, ingrained in him to his very bones. Herbert had chided him for it, but Daniel had been able to bluff and say he would set food aside as a midnight snack and would then forget about it. At Brennenberg he finally found a reason to be thankful that old childhood traumas followed one throughout life. But now his food was gone, for all his thrift, and he had no idea what to do.

He supposed he would have to venture out to the kitchens. The trick would be to time it right where the baron would be occupied with some other task, yet the servants would be scarce. The staff of the castle had never troubled him before, had never even spoke a single word to him, so the idea that they would confront him about his recent confinement seemed implausible. They might go and fetch Alexander though and if Daniel had to face the baron he would die either of fright or shame.

Time dulled one's perceptions and memories. Almost a week and he already doubted what he had seen. At night he was certain that he had been privy to a secret that the lord of the keep would kill to preserve, but it was hard to keep that terror when the sun was up and thoughts of monsters seemed laughable. But he did know full well that such things existed. Ever since he discovered that cursed tomb, he had known. It called to him still in his dreams, he could feel it casting about, trying to pick up his scent. The Shadow was the only reason venturing from the sanctuary of Brennenberg hadn't crossed his mind.

Enough with the dark thoughts, he shook himself out of reverie. He glanced out the window, judging the approximate time by the position of the sun. Alexander, if he kept to his routine, should be starting off to study in his laboratories below the castle, the ones that Daniel had yet to be shown and which the baron would venture from in the wee hours of the morning, drawn and grim.

The servants should also have finished dinner and were off doing whatever they did when there was no work for them to do. He took a deep breath. Do or die, Danny. What's the worst that can happen?

He tried to move the furniture aside as quietly as possible. He was certain that no one was outside to hear, but he hadn't lasted through his younger years by taking chances. When the last chest was dragged aside he rested his hand on the handle of the door. He closed his eyes and threw it open.

"Good evening."His eyes sprang open. Alexander was leaning against the railing of the landing in front of his door, arms crossed, expression thunderous.

"G-Good evening." Daniel replied rotely. He gaped at the baron for a moment, and then took a step back, starting to shut the door.

Alexander sighed, reached out with a speed Daniel could scarce follow and caught the door. "None of that again. Stop being so childish, it wears my patience."

Daniel stumbled back, eyes seeking out the door to his bedroom. The furniture he had used as a blockade was now scattered about the room making it an obstacle course. Maybe that could work in his favor though, slow Alexander down while-

Alexander's hand gripped his arm painfully and Daniel yelped in surprise. He hadn't even seen the older man move that time. "Stop it." The baron said between clenched teeth, giving Daniel a shake.

"I'm sorry." Again the response was automatic.

"What had gotten into you of late?"

"I'm-"

"Don't apologize if it's just empty words with nothing behind them." He shook Daniel again, fingers curling over the other man's upper arms with bruising strength.

"I don't know what else to say." His voice cracked.

Alexander almost snarled, stopped it at the last moment, and regained his usual impassive expression. His eyes still glittered with fury though and Daniel realized that the fingers that clutched him trembled ever so slightly. Alexander was an inch from flying into a rage. "Your mind was much lauded in your field and considered quite promising. I'm sure if you think, actually think for once, you will be able to come up with a suitable substitute."

Daniel closed his eyes, fighting the memories this scene was conjuring. He tried not to recast Alexander as his father in his mind. "Please don't hurt me." It was the wrong thing to say, he knew it by the sharp intake of breath the other man drew.

Alexander pushed him away. Daniel stumbled over a drawer that had fallen out of the desk when he had moved it, and fell hard onto the floor. He quickly looked up at the baron, tried desperately to judge if he should scramble away or stay very very still as to not incur more wrath.

The baron studied him with narrow eyes, breathing heavily. "I've spent too much on you. Wasted too much time." He ran a hand through his hair. It shook ever so slightly. Daniel then noticed the circles under his eyes, his unshaved jaw.

"Were you…You couldn't possible have…been waiting out there all this…"

Alexander didn't reply.

"I…" he felt tears prick his eyes and drew his knees up to his chest. "I didn't mean to hurt you." He whispered.

Alexander laughed. It was a jarring, ugly sound. "Do you think sometime as small and insignificant as you could hurt me?" He sneered. "You presumptuous little-"He cut himself off with an angry gesture. "I have work I've been neglecting for much too long. If you are hungry, I've had the servants set your normal plate in my rooms." He paused at the door and looked back at man curled up on the floor. "Or you could stay here and starve. I find I don't much care anymore." And with that he was gone.

The growling of his stomach finally forced him to a decision. He slowly rose to his feet and made his way shakily to the baron's private rooms. He was crying and rubbed at his face with the back of his sleeve. He was so very tired. He would take whatever was on his plate and go back to his rooms. He supposed he was no longer welcome in Brennenberg and would have to try to formulate what he should do next. Even without The Shadow waiting to pounce on him the moment he misstepped, he was horrible at planning his own future. In childhood his motions had been dictated by staying out of his father's way and by trying to take care of his ailing sister. In university and out of it he had moved under the guidance of him mentor, Herbert. And after finding the orb there had been a blessedly brief floundering period before the baron had stepped in to take up the reins. Daniel realized that he was almost thirty and had no idea how to think about these things for himself.

The trip down the halls had exhausted him. When he found Alexander's door unlocked and his tray of dinner laid out seductively on the table, still hot due to its proximity to the fireplace, he gave in and slumped down into his accustomed chair. He ate with no enthusiasm. It was a grueling chore he had to do to keep the body appeased. He wondered why it was still so important to tend to such primal needs. It would make things so much easier if he just stopped running to and from things, if he just stood still and let himself fade away.

The food had no taste to him and after he had eaten enough to stop the pains in his belly, he turned to the fire. If he died, could he see Hazel again? Maybe even his mother? He never had given much thought to the afterlife or to any religion that was still practiced. But surely he could be reunited with his loved ones. If that were so, surely death would not be so bad. It would be preferable to this hell where he was either growing more insane with each passing day or was under the protection of a demon. His eyes drifted shut and he slept.

The fire had died down to burning coals when he finally began to stir. The darkness encroached around him like a pack of wolves waiting to pounce when the dim light finally died. Almost falling out of the chair in his haste, he lunged for the fire. He grabbed a poker and stirred the ashes and threw in another log. With his coaxing, the flames rose high again and he breathed a sigh of relief.

A glance of the room gave up no signs that its owner had returned. Everything lay as it had been when he had fallen asleep. He rose to his feet, wincing when his knees twinged and gave a resounding crack. He must have been lying in the chill for some time to stiffen up so. He pulled the throw rug from where it was draped over Alexander's chair and drew it around himself.

He had never been in these rooms without the baron in attendance. Curiosity and terror warred in his breast. He did a slow, cautious turn of the room, trailing a hand over the shelves and peering at the books and bottles they contained. He had no idea what the potions were for, but most of the books he had read before. They must be here for the baron's pleasure instead of to aid him in his work. Those books were probably kept closer to his laboratory.

The door to the baron's bedchamber was to his left. His fingers trailed over the wood. Did he dare? The old tale of Blue Beard and his hidden room came into his mind. He took a step back. Daniel had come to the keep as no one's bride, but better safe than sorry. There would be no dropped key or bloodstained hand to prove to Alexander his prying. The man was welcome to keep his mysteries.

A glint of light at the corner of his eye and he turned his head: the mirror. He approached it as one would a wild beast that might either flee or lunge for one's throat. His face appeared in the glass, pale and wan, more so after his five days of self imposed exile. He had washed up as well as he could with the water in his rooms, but his hair still hung in lank strands around his face. Maybe he could ask for a bath later on. He could try to flag down one of the servants, no need to talk to Alexander again. Surprisingly the thought made him sad.

The mirror, on closer inspection, wasn't of glass but metal polished within an inch of its life. There were carvings in the metal frame surrounding it, strange faces that peered out, frozen in frightful rictuses. The baron certainly had horrible taste on occasion. He wondered what the metal was…

"There were some that thought bronze was the metal of the gods, which had fallen from the very heavens." A deep voice intoned near his ear, breath stirring his hair. "Whether it is so or not, it has proven a damned sight inconvenient to me."

Daniel had no moisture in his mouth to utter a single cry of alarm. His lips felt sealed shut. He shuddered as Alexander's chin rested on his shoulder. The baron pressed their cheeks together. Daniel's eyes shot to the mirror.

The creature in the reflection smiled at him, all teeth and disdain. "You know, where I come from I was considered quite the beauty." He yanked Daniel by the shoulder, forcing him to turn around. "I take it you disagree." His face was Daniel's Alexander's again, old and wise, weather beaten but still handsome in its maturity.

Daniel could only shake his head mutedly.

"Nothing to say still? Really, Daniel, I wonder how you ever made it onto an expedition. You don't seem half as cleaver as I originally took you to be."

"What can I say…my lord?" He finally managed to get the words out.

Alexander cocked his head to the side, hair a silver spill down one shoulder. "If our positions were reversed, I could think of a great deal, I'd wager."

"What are you?" His voice was small and child-like. He felt his knees begin to shake and hoped fervently that he would not faint.

The baron bared his teeth in what was probably meant to be a smile. "Not from here."

"Are you like…like the Shadow?"

Daniel had an unerring knack of saying exactly the wrong thing. Alexander drew himself up to his full height, his face flickering for an instant and the other face exposed, before the mask was once more firmly in place. "How dare you assume that that lumbering monstrosity and I are kin."

"I know little of such things. I only recently found out that such…aberrations were possible."

"And that is what I am to you, an aberration, a horror?"

Daniel couldn't meet those eyes that stared at him so, looked everywhere but. "I do not think it's my place to say. Please, let me go to my room. Let us forget-"

"But you won't forget, will you? We can never go back to our little chats by the fire, you'll never again let me keep vigil at your bedside to keep the terrors away. You're just counting down the minutes until you scamper off back to your hidey hole and shut me out again." His hand shot out and his fist met the stone wall by Daniel's head. Bits of debris brushed his cheek and Daniel realized he had hit with enough force to break the rock. He trembled.

Alexander's breathing was labored. He seemed to be struggling to keep his composure. A shaking hand drew close to Daniel's face. He flinched from it. Alexander sighed. He grabbed Daniel by the chin, his preternatural speed making evasion impossible. He tilted the young man's head up, staring so long, Daniel wondered if he was trying to commit his features to memory.

His thumb traced Daniel's lips, parted slightly and panting. "We can never go back." He kissed him then. Daniel tried to back away but found himself held fast. It was like trying to wrestle with steel. He could taste blood in his mouth and a second later felt a prick on his tongue; damage from fangs that this Alexander didn't readily show, but were there none the less if you knew how to look.

Alexander parted from him with a growl. "You bit me." Daniel accused, shaken.

"I plan to do more than that this night."

Again Daniel tried to flee and again the baron proved faster than thought. "Let me go!"

"No, you owe me this. For the weeks of your upkeep, for the sleepless nights, the inconvenience that you've caused me, you owe me at least one night of this. I will not have put myself through this and have naught to show for it in the end."

"Alexander…"

"You thought of Blue Beard a bit ago." He grabbed a fistful of Daniel's hair and brought their faces near. "You should know full well there is a price to pay for discovering the secrets of another." He shoved Daniel through the door to his bedchamber.

Daniel gasped as he was flung onto the bed. He looked around, desperate to find some means of escape. He noted absently that the room was much as he imagined it, almost alarmingly exact.

Alexander chuckled. "You look like some woodland creature that finds himself cornered by the wolf."

"Please, don't-" It was the wrong thing to say again. Alexander's mirth faded into something hard and stony. The baron grabbed Daniel's ankle when the young man tried to scoot away and flipped him over onto his stomach. There was the sound of ripping fabric and Daniel felt a breeze on his back.

He whimpered and closed his eyes, praying that this would prove to be another sending of the Shadow's he could wake up from.

Alexander tsked, a long finger tracing patterns on his flesh. Daniel realized what the baron's finger was following. He bit his lip, shame flooding him. He tried to turn back over, but a strong hand on his neck prevented him. "You've been so ill used in your life." Did the baron sound slightly sad? Maybe he would let him go, feel some pity for him… Lips on his spine and he shuddered. Another kiss laid alongside his shoulder blade, a brief spattering of them across his ribs. He moaned. The baron was kissing his scars.

"Stop. Please." His voice was breathy, unrecognizable.

More kisses were his only answer. A strong, sure lap of tongue just above his tail bone. Alexander was tugging on his pants, desiring more skin to lave his attentions upon. Daniel clawed at the sheets. The moment would have been so tender, so sweet, if only…If only he didn't know…

Alexander pulled away and Daniel almost keened, stopped himself at the last moment. "You are lovely." The baron's voice was lower than normal, hungry.

Footsteps crossed the room and Daniel drew his legs up onto the mattress. He crawled to the head of the bed, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible. The lights began to dim. "No! Anything but that!" He faced the baron for the first time since he entered the room. Alexander's brows rose in surprise, hand resting on the lamp.

"Anything?"

His eyes widened, his hand frozen, outstretched towards Alexander in beseechment.

"Finish undressing for me."

When he hesitated, Alexander turned the key to the gas lamp, and the room plunged into gloom. His fingers flew to rid himself of the tatters of his shirt, to wrestle with the buckle of his pants. "Kneel on the bed. Yes, perfect."

It was agony not to squirm, not to try to hide his nakedness. Alexander did nothing but stare, face unreadable.

"Why do you look at me so?"

"Because I don't think I've ever desired anything as I have desired you."

"But you look so sad."

"Ah, well." A small smile flitted across his lips.

The moment stretched long between them, it grew unbearable. Then Alexander stirred himself as if awakening from a dream. "Turn. Face the headboard."

"Alexander?" He hated how his voice quavered.

"If you insist on the lights on, then it would be better if… I don't know if I can hold the glamour when we're making love."

Making love. Of all the crude words he could have chosen, he decided upon ones with such sweet connotations. And he didn't want Daniel to look upon him. A sharp pain pierced his chest. The refusal to obey was on his tongue, and then he remembered his lord's true face. He turned.

Alexander's weight dipped the mattress and a hand sliding over his flank. "I've wanted this since I first saw you." Hot breath on the back of his neck.

"Me too." He admitted, trying not to break down.

"I hate your world. It ruins the purest things."

Daniel opened his mouth, "I'm sorry."

A sharp bite on his shoulder. "No, you aren't. But you will be."

The baron wasn't gentle, nor was he cruel. It hurt, but Daniel knew full well it could hurt more. There had been some hurried preparation and then Alexander was in him in a long, burning slide. Tear sprang to Daniel's eyes. When the baron began to more vigorously express his passions, he had to bite his forearm to keep from crying out.

There was a slide of a hand over his ribs, following them down to his bony hip and then curving under to caress… He couldn't keep back his whimper.

"You're so sweet. Too sweet." Alexander murmured. He leaned over, the heat of him against Daniel's back. He mouthed his neck, bit him to hold him still. Daniel grabbed hold of the headboard, his knuckles white with the strength with which he clutched.

"Relax. Try to find some pleasure in this."

Daniel managed not to confess that he was finding pleasure, too much in fact.

"Just a bit longer." He could feel sweat dripping down his spine. Alexander lapped at a bead that was trickling down his neck and he shuddered. His body was moving to a rhythm not his own. It was almost peaceful, exhilarating, to relinquish such total control to another. Alexander made a peculiar purring sound, it vibrated through their joined bodies and Daniel finally gave up trying to restrain his pants and moans.

Something cool and smooth trailed up his thigh, began to loop around his waist. What- He remembered Alexander's reflection. Besides the more conventional limbs, he had extra…appendages. He tried to pull away, if it hurt him to disengage so hastily from another man, so be it, but the thing around his waist tightened, and a fist in his hair pulled him back, kept him in place.

"Please, Daniel. Please." Daniel didn't know for what the baron pled for, didn't have the breath to ask. Alexander kissed his cheek, caressed his face, hint of sharp claws in it. Then Alexander's weight was pushing him down into the mattress. Something shifted and squirmed between his legs, brushing against his shockingly still eager manhood. Alexander began to whisper things in a language he did not recognize into his ear. Daniel bucked up into him once, twice. Then he was spent, wrung out. A clawed hand loosely clasped his. Something else was muttered in that husky voice. It sounded like it should have been a proclamation of devotion. He was too exhausted to care, his eyes drooped shut. He didn't know if the baron had finished his pleasure or not. Even if he was asleep, he was sure it would not hinder Alexander's ardor, he thought with bitterness. And so he slept.


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel had fully expected to be turned out of the bed as soon as it was over. Sent out into the cold, drafty halls with nothing to cover himself and a scathing comment hurled at his back. Alexander never was what he seemed though. He woke from his slumber when the other man pulled him close, arms wrapped so tightly around his waist he could scare draw breath. A taloned hand laced its fingers through his. He stared at their joined hands in bemusement, too exhausted to be horrified or surprised anymore.

"Did I live up to your expectations, my lord?"

Only the sound of the fire crackling in the next room for several minutes, then: "No, this is not how I expected it to go between us. Nor was it how I wanted it to be."

"Did I satisfy your needs sufficiently, then, my lord?" He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Alexander sighed, a gust of hot breath stirring the fine hairs on his neck. The baron then pulled his arm out from beneath Daniel. Without the baron's warmth behind him, his back grew chilly. He drew the covers tightly around him.

"I'll leave the lamp on." When Daniel didn't reply, he left, closing the door softly behind him. Daniel wept.

* * *

><p>The smell of tea woke him. He opened his eyes, still heavy from his tears, and saw that a cup and saucer had been placed on the bedside table. He reached out and laid a finger against the side, the porcelain was hot; the tea had just been poured.<p>

Trying to rise he gasped and fell back onto the pillows. Every muscle in his body felt worn and ached dully. Peeking under the covers he noted some faint scratches around his hips and thighs. Alexander had gotten carried away a bit last night after all, it seemed. Still, the wounds were light enough to be accidental. Nothing about last night had proven that his former friend had meant to hurt him, not physically at least.

He looked around the room, but could not find anything to cover his nakedness. He spotted a wardrobe, but when he beheld the neatly folded shirts and trousers, he found the thought of wearing something that had been lying against the skin of Alexander repulsive. Resigned, he tugged the sheet from where it was snuggly tucked under the mattress and wrapped the wine colored fabric around himself. He picked up the tea cup absently and went into the main chamber.

Alexander looked up at him, surprise flitting across his face before it was shut away. It seemed as if Daniel had disturbed the baron in the middle of a brood. He had been staring into the flames of the fireplace like he wished to reach in and throttle them. Daniel was pleased to see that he was wearing his proper face. Well, no, this wasn't his proper face. This was the face he could wear in polite company rather.

"You left this for me?" An idiotic question, who else would have left the tea? But he needed to say something.

Alexander's mouth tightened, his chin rising slightly. He didn't answer.

Daniel clenched his teeth, suddenly furious. "Did you mean for it to be an apology? For lying to me these past few weeks, for raping me last night?"

Alexander snorted. "You seemed to be enjoying it far too much for it be termed-"

Daniel hurled the cup into the fire. It struck the stones at the back and fragmented into a thousand glittering shards. The fire glowed blue for a moment. Daniel stared at the azure flames, then turned to Alexander. "What was in the tea?"

Alexander would not look at him.

"Did you mean to poison me? Had your fill and then no more use for the foolish, naïve-"

"It was not poison." The baron steepled his fingers and rested them against his lips, still avoiding Daniel's gaze.

"Then what? Something was obviously in the damned stuff besides leaves!"

Alexander closed his eyes. "It was an amnesia tonic. Something to make you forget-"

"I know what amnesia means!" He had never felt such rage as was coursing through his veins right that very moment. "There is no potion that can cause one's memory to be erased."

"Maybe none that has been found by your science, but mine is altogether a different thing."

Daniel's turn to close his eyes. "Your solution to this then is to make me forget. And then what? Send me back out into the world to be devoured by the Shadow? Try your hand at seduction again?" His lip curled at the last.

Alexander finally looked at him. "I would not send you out to your death, rest assured of that. Also, I have learned my lesson. I will not touch you again."

The anger fled him then and there was nothing but a cold emptiness. He felt hollowed out, gutted. "You have no desire to any longer."

A thin hand was quickly brought up to halt Daniel's words. "Let's rather say that I have learned that giving into temptation never leads to anything good. I…hurt you. I won't again." He rose and walked over to one of the many cabinets that were crammed into the room. He selected a vial of clear liquid. "Here." He held it out. When Daniel only stared at it, making no move to take it from him, he walked over to the table between their two chairs. He set it down. He turned to leave the room, paused and looked back over his shoulder. "It would be best for us both if you took it."

"Which are you more eager to have me forget, my lord, what you did to me or what your true face looks like?"

The baron smiled and for a moment his teeth appeared too long, too sharp. Then he was gone. Daniel stared at the vial, picked it up and hefted the slight weight of it, held it up to the light and studied it.

* * *

><p>"You didn't drink it." The words dripped with disappointment and stirred him from his doze, curled up in his chair.<p>

"No, I did not."

"May I ask why?" Alexander seated himself across for Daniel.

Daniel simply shrugged.

Alexander tapped his long fingers on the arm of his chair, scratched at the fabric. "That's not an answer."

"I don't want to."

"Even if you retain your memory I forbid you from leaving my castle. You will be set upon by the Shadow the moment you set foot outside of my door and I will not allow you to come to harm because of some silly fear of me."

"I have no desire to leave Brennenberg."

Alexander tilted his head and gave Daniel one of his searching looks. He frowned. "Yes, I can see that."

Daniel raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask the baron how he could see that, but was forestalled by an irritated wave of Alexander's hand.

Daniel took a breath and began a speech he had rehearsed when Alexander had left him alone with a potion and a choice. "I have been thinking these last few hours."

"A feat you seem unaccustomed to-"

"Let me finish, pray." He stirred himself to sit up straighter, the sheet sliding off his shoulders. Alexander's gaze followed the fabric to where it lay bunched in Daniel's lap. "Let me see your face."

Alexander's eyes shot back to his face. "You can see my face just fine."

"Your real face. Please."

Alexander's jaw set in stubborn defiance. Daniel only stared calmly back. "If I do this you will drink the amnesia draught." The words came from between clenched teeth.

"If you do it, I will consider it."

"You're lying to me."

Daniel cocked his head to the side and smiled.

Alexander sighed. The glamour dropped.

Daniel didn't allow himself to flinch away from the inhumanness of the visage before him. He looked this time, fully looked, taking in each detail of his friend. Alexander wasn't so much misshapen as elongated, his limbs unnaturally long, willowy. Yes, there were the claws and the teeth still, and they did give one pause, but he could still see Alexander's face past them, the high cheekbones, the piercing eyes, such a pretty color. And he still had that lovely, lovely silver hair that fell around his shoulders like liquid moonshine.

He stood up, barely catching the sheet before it slid immodestly off. Alexander looked disappointed and Daniel almost laughed to see such a human expression on something decidedly not. He touched his cheek, lightly ran his fingers down to his lips, paused there, feeling the other man's uneven breaths against his skin.

"And what do you think you are doing?"

"You look younger this way."

"I am fairly young still, despite some of the guises I've worn. Young for my kind at least."

"Why do you choose to look so old when you play at being human?"

Alexander grabbed his wrist and forced his hand away. He did not let it go. "It makes certain things easier. I do not appear as a threat to those who always look for them and people are always willing to listen to a man who has the wisdom of years behind him. Both of these things have proven useful in the high councils of Prussia. They've helped me amass power, wealth…"

Power and wealth had never interested Daniel. "How old are you really?"

"Does it matter?" He seemed disappointed that Daniel wasn't impressed by his alluded to prestige in the realm of politics.

"How long have you been here then? In this world?"

Alexander's eyes darted away, calculating. "Almost three centuries."

That gave him pause, but curiosity was never easily set aside. "Why did you come here? Why my world?"

A look of such pain crossed his features then and Daniel bit his lip, regretting his question. Obviously it had not been by choice. Something had happened and he had found himself trapped here, exiled. A lost soul. Daniel knew that feeling all too well.

"I'm sorry."

Alexander glowered. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. You are made up of nothing but apologies. If I were to slit you from throat to belly," A fingernail traced a line from Daniel's throat, down his bare chest to rest below his navel. "Nothing would fall out but words of-"

Daniel kissed him.

Alexander went ridged. He wasn't returning the kiss, but he had yet to push Daniel away, and the young man was heartened by that fact. He gently placed both hands on the older man's cheeks, tilting the unresisting face upwards to better the angle. The sheet slid off his hips and fell to the floor. That seemed to awaken Alexander, for he suddenly seized Daniel by the hips, claws skimming his skin, and pulled the young man into his lap.

Daniel let himself be settled against the creature before him, let his fingers trail along the too bony face to rake back the silver hair, let himself tangle his fingers in it. Alexander growled and turned his head slightly and the angle suddenly became perfect; Alexander was finally returning his kiss.

He was pretty sure he purred or maybe it was just a moan, but it was answered by the other man and there was a very dexterous tongue exploring the inside of his mouth, running along his teeth, and Daniel couldn't help another happy sound. He tried to return the attentions, but Alexander, perhaps remembering how his teeth had nicked Daniel before, pulled back.

Daniel huffed, tried to lean forward again to renew their intimate investigations, but Alexander had him by the shoulders and kept him still. "What are you doing?"

"I would think it obvious." Daniel was annoyed. He had been enjoying himself and did not take kindly to having his making up gestures thwarted.

"Let me rephrase my question then; why are you doing this? Last night you shrank from my very presence. A few hours ago you were accusing me of vile crimes against your person."

"I told you, I have done some thinking."

"And you reached the conclusion that seducing me would be your best option." His voice was sharp and mocking. "This isn't necessary, Daniel. I've told you I would protect you regardless. It is not contingent on your sharing my bed or not."

Daniel frowned. It took him a few seconds to work through the baron's words, to understand what Alexander took his kisses to mean.

Alexander's head turned to the side with the force of the blow. He kept his head turned and closed his eyes, when he finally faced Daniel again his voice was soft and calm. "If it's going to go that route, I think you would best be off my lap."

"I'm not a whore!"

"I never said you were."

"I would never, ever use my body to gain advantage for myself."

"I see I was mistake, my apologies."

Daniel crossed his arms over his bare chest, cold all of a sudden. "You must think so little of me."

"I tend to think little of your species. They have not done much in these last few centuries to endear themselves to me."

The young man shifted his weight, began to try to slide from his perch on Alexander, and gain his feet. He was prevented by Alexander wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him firmly against him once more. Alexander rested his cheek against Daniel's breast, pressed against his heart. "I fear I might have found the exception in you."

"Fear?" Daniel was still upset, but let himself relax into Alexander's embrace. He ran his hand over the silver hair, liking the feel of it. It was like silk, maybe even softer, like petting a cloud or mist.

A puff of air against him as Alexander sighed. "I take it that I am forgiven?"

"Not for all of it."

Alexander drew back so he could see Daniel's face.

"I told you I did some thinking. I realized that I had wronged you."

"Wronged me?" The baron laughed, it was a bitter, sad sound.

Daniel kissed his forehead. "I behaved deplorably, as a guest and as a friend. I hurt your feelings and there was no excuse for it."

"You what?"

Annoyance crossed Daniel's features. Really, the baron could be so dense at times. "When I saw you for what you really are and reacted as I did. It must have hurt you. I'm-"

"You were afraid. It is understandable. With everything you have faced in these last few months and to be confronted with such a horror…" Bitterness in the last word and Daniel couldn't help himself from leaning forward to try to kiss it away. "Stop that." The baron said turning away, but only after the young man had placed five or six gentle kisses against his lips. Daniel smiled.

"You're not a horror. Maybe to those who haven't seen anything outside of their kin before, but as you said, you were not considered abnormal among your people. It's just a matter of perception."

"You don't think me hideous now?" A silver brow quirked upwards.

Daniel shook his head. "I find you different, but not unbearable. Not now that I have looked at you and…" He paused, trying to organize his feelings into the correct words. "I should have remembered your kindness to me. How you took me in when I had nowhere else to go, how you are protecting me at great costs and risk to yourself. I should have remembered those things and remembered that those are the things that matter. No matter how different your appearance is to me."

Alexander looked uncomfortable. "You make me seem altogether too altruistic,"

"Did you have ulterior motives for helping me then?"

The baron seemed to cast aside whatever thought had distracted him and smiled at Daniel. His teeth really were very sharp, "I thought it would be obvious."

Daniel rolled his eyes, wiggled around so his back was leaned against the other man's chest. "You never intended to take me to your bed. You will not have me believing that you took me in just to have your wicked way with me."

Alexander rested his chin on Daniel's shoulder, long hair brushing the other man's face. "I liked the look of you. I wanted to have my fill of the sight of you. It helps…ease things. The days of my exile were very bleak before you came to Brennenberg." He turned slightly so his lips grazed the shell of Daniel's ear when he spoke. "And I quite enjoyed imagining what I could do to you if only I did not care of your opinion of me."

Daniel shivered. Reached up and trailed a finger along Alexander's jaw. "We would have ended up in bed together eventually. It was where it was heading."

Alexander hummed and Daniel took it to mean that he wasn't being believed. "I wanted it too. Ever since we met almost."

"I had no idea you had a penchant for the elderly."

Daniel drove his elbow into the other man's ribs, but not too hard. "It wasn't that! It was your poise, your authority that drew me. You make me feel safe."

"And you make me feel entirely at a loss." He kissed his cheek, the corner of his mouth, brushed his hair aside to start a trail of them along his neck.

Something brushed against Daniel's foot and he looked down. Oh. Three somethings, technically. Alexander's…extras. What would one call them? Tentacles? Tails? He reached down and pulled one across his thighs, ran his hand along it. Alexander went absolutely still. It felt strange. Like petting a snake, though it wasn't scaled from what he could see. It was cool to the touch, not slimy or unpleasant. Just…different. He brushed it again with his fingers and then yelped as Alexander bit his shoulder.

"Stop that." He elbowed the other man again.

"You stop that." He sounded strange, out of breath and almost pleading.

Daniel remembered last night, how the…tails…had run along his body, exploring it almost as much as Alexander's hands had. Oh. He gently caressed it again and Alexander shuddered. "It feels good." Daniel said in wonder. He did it again and was bitten again, only this time the baron lingered, sucking at the bite, running his tongue over the wound.

Daniel had a feeling this was how Alexander's race showed its pleasure. Ah well, he didn't mind it, though he would have to remember to wear high necked collars if they ever ventured out of Brennenberg. Another of the tails wrapped around his calf, curled around it, and Daniel laughed. He brought up the one he had captured, dragging it along his chest, relishing each shiver and stifled groan behind him. He kissed it, darted out his tongue to give it a long, languorous lick. And found himself on the floor, Alexander over him, his breath hot pants against his face and his eyes wild.

Alexander regained his composure quickly, or at least attempted to. He tried to straighten up, but Daniel had his arms around his neck, coaxing him back down. "You can. I want you to." He whispered in the other man's ear, noticing that it was more than slightly pointed.

"I hurt you."

"You did." He laid back down, barely touching the other man with his fingertips. "You won't today. I trust you."

Alexander closed his eyes, let his weight rest against Daniel as the other man kissed every inch of skin he could reach.

* * *

><p>Daniel woke to find himself facing the fire. He smiled to himself, he was sore, but in a way that was most pleasant. The arms around him tightened and he leaned further back into the warmth the other man seemed to exude. A tail trailed up his thigh and Daniel moved to give it better access, watching in amusement at it curled possessively around him.<p>

"Are you all right?" Tiredness was apparent in Alexander's voice and so was a fair degree of smugness. Well, the man…entity…his friend had reason to be satisfied with himself.

"I am very all right." Daniel stretched, loving the feel of his skin brushing against Alexander's. The other man liked it too, it seemed, as claws were gently raked down his side, his hip, to rest slightly cupped between his thighs.

"This means you will be staying." It was not a question, but Daniel answered it with a happy hum in the affirmative.

"May we share chambers? I think I would like that very much. Besides, I spent all my spare time in your rooms even before…" He stroked the tail around him.

"I assumed you would." It was spoken against his neck accompanied by a scrape of teeth.

"Good then."

"Daniel." The baron's voice was serious. "I have one thing I must ask of you. One condition to our happiness if you would."

He moved so he was facing his friend-his lover, now- worried at the shift in mood. "What is it?"

"You must never venture to the rooms below. No matter what happens. Under no circumstances will you let your curiosity rule you and follow me when I go down into the depths at night."

"And I thought we would be done with our Blue Beard analogy."

A ghost of a smile on Alexander's thin lips. "Promise me."

"I do and easily. Every man must have his secrets. Does it have to do with the Shadow? With protecting me?"

The baron hesitated. "Yes. It does. And with our future happiness."

Daniel nodded, content with the answer, and let himself be tucked under the baron's chin.

"I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe, to keep you mine."

"I know. I trust you."

"No matter what? No matter what strange paths I might make you walk?"

"As long as I am with you, I will go wherever you are and make it a home." He seemed to have guessed what Alexander was hinting at, for the man smiled, a real, actual smile, and despite his teeth and his odd bones and his amber eyes he was the most beautiful thing Daniel had ever seen.

The kiss was a long lingering thing and Daniel let himself be swept away with it. He was glad that Alexander's race still had this as part of their mating rites. He loved the feel of the man's lips against his, the heat of it, the intimacy. He could do it forever.

"And we shall. I'll kiss you as much as you'll allow me to, every second of every day if that is your will."

"I would like that all too much." Daniel closed his eyes under the baron's gentle ministrations, and then pulled roughly away. "Wait, how could you have…"

* * *

><p>X<p>

* * *

><p>This was a response to a prompt on the Amnesia Kinki Meme. The prompt was for xeno in case you couldn't guess. And with this nice piece of fluff out of my system, I can now focus on finishing Spirit. I just needed a break with a nice AU where Daniel isn't a child-murdering crazy person and where he and Alexander can go off into the sunset with each other to live happily ever after...<p> 


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